Reclaim The Stars
by Sojourney
Summary: When you have everything you could want, are you truly happy? Jing must steal his greatest treasure yet, one that has been locked away for years... the truth in his heart. post-series, JING/CASSIS - REPOSTED
1. Disclosure

**RECLAIM THE STARS**

**Notes:** Originally written for the Livejournal community 24hour_themes, each of the 24 chapters will be based on a themed prompt noted at the top of the chapter. This series begins post Twilight Tales and continues for approximately 5-7 years. The order in which they are written and uploaded is the order in which they should be read. This is what I call "canon-compliant AU", which means that it draws heavily on my own interpretations and theories about the largely-unknown world of Aquavitae, and yet stays within the boundaries of what Kumakura has outlined as possible.

This was originally posted under my previous account, but has been taken down to avoid confusion. My sincere apologies to anyone who'd previously reviewed this fic under that upload.

* * *

**Disclosure  
**_7AM_ | _hope,__ improved insight and perspective._

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* * *

_

It was a lazy summer evening in Ginelico. The recently descended sun still cast its molten glow over the quaint city, tracing the copper peaks of the rooftops. A tired breeze, no longer baked into stillness by the oppressive daytime heat, ruffled the black hair of the young man leaning on the balcony of an inn's upper level. His eyes were closed, sensing rather than watching the peaceful ambiance of the urbanity below. Jing allowed the quietude to soothe him, although his keen hearing easily identified the surrounding sounds. The wooden clatter of wagon wheels on the cobbled street; the swish of the broom against stone as the innkeeper swept the stoop; the rustle of paper in the room behind him, where Kir was scribing a letter whose destination was a place notably colder than their present locale.

It was hard to believe, he thought as he watched the innkeeper finish sweeping and begin lighting the lamps at the entrance, that over a month had passed since his and Kir's birthday. They had celebrated it with their usual indulgences - good food, wine for Kir (and unlimited cocoa for himself) and a spree of spontaneous gift-giving whenever anything caught their eye. It had been memorable and more importantly, thoroughly enjoyed... but as the year matured into the summer months, he wondered when it would sink in that he was nineteen now, considered an adult in nearly every aspect as Aquavitae recognized them.

He didn't feel like an adult, and for that he was grateful.

Kir alighted on the balcony railing next to him, and the thief finally opened his eyes to warmly regard his partner. "All finished writing your dirty jokes down?" he teased.

"Nah," the albatross answered, flexing his wing to ease the cramp developing there. "Takin' a break... turned out to be a lot longer than I expected."

Jing remained surprised that Kir could even write at all, simply because wings were not designed to grip instruments like pens, and prolonged use of his extremities in such an unnatural manner continued to give him difficulty. Jing had offered on more than one occasion to write the letters if Kir wanted to dictate them, but the albatross remained stubbornly adamant that he could do it himself. The first few attempts had been barely legible, but he had steadily improved and now took a certain pride in it. His spelling however still left something to be desired.

"D'you know there's still snow on the ground in Pompier?" Kir was saying, shaking his head in disbelief. "It's summer here and Fino still needs boots to go outside."

"I'm sure she's used to it by now," Jing murmured. Fino and her avian companion, the Bird of Paradise (who had finally chosen Minzé as a name) kept in regular contact with the Bonded pair, sending them letters every few months which Kir received eagerly and wrote back with much enthusiasm. Jing tended to include his own greetings within the envelops, but left the (often embellished) recounts of their adventures in his partner's storytelling flair.

"I was thinking..." Kir began, waiting until he had Jing's attention before continuing. "Maybe we could go visit them again... longer this time, we only stayed two days the last time we went."

Jing draped his arms over the railing and considered. The handful of times they had returned to Pompier in the last few years, the thief had noticed a surprising change in the albatross. Where he had initially flirted with Fino, as he flirted with nearly every girl he met, his attitude now seemed more protective of her. To Jing's surprise, it was around _Minzé_ that he displayed an uncharacteristic affability, although his usual brashness was curtailed by the female's no-nonsense attitude. Despite Kir's continued libido towards human women, it seemed that his affections had found a place with one not unlike himself.

Jing wondered if his partner was falling in love and wondered what that would mean for them, if it were true. Kir was still waiting for an answer, and the thief smiled a little. "Sure," he replied. "How long were you thinking of?"

"I dunno," was the shrugged answer, although Jing detected a hint of embarrassment in his tone. "They keep saying we're welcome to stay as long as we want..."

The young man captured the avian in a lopsided albeit companionable hug, which Kir tolerated with a good natured groan, and then straightened. "Well, think about it. There's no hurry to decide right tonight, after all."

* * *

The morning came, already humid by dawn and shrouding the city in a haze of mist. Having woken uncharacteristically early, Jing pressed his finger to the mirror's surface above the wash basin, and left a single spot of cleared glass. They'd left the balcony doors open to take advantage of the breeze, and now the room had a thin patina of dew and the faint scent of the sea. Kir slept contently, nestled into the bed's second pillow, unaware of the lightening sky or his companion's wakened state.

Stepping once more out onto the balcony, Jing was contemplating returning to bed for another hour's sleep when a new sound reached him; familiar but not concurrent with the typical sounds of this town. It was the engine putter of a motorbike idling, and Jing's gaze located the source in the alley across the street. The polished gleam of the single headlamp caught the first few rays of the newborn sun. Jing lifted a hand to wave at the omnipresent mailman, and Postino seemed to mimic the gesture... but the motion changed, and became beckoning, and then the engine was turned off as the rider waited.

Now the thief was intrigued. Although he and Kir frequently ran into Postino on their travels, the mail carrier rarely stayed in their presence more than a few minutes. He was always on a route, always heading for the next delivery - which coincidentally was usually in the direction they ended up traveling. Sometimes he would toss a cryptic piece of advice their way (and Jing, who prided himself on figuring out even the most impossible riddles, often couldn't make heads or tails of some of them) and he always seemed to know when Kir's letters were ready to be taken to Pompier.

Except this time. Kir's letter to Fino and Minzé remained unfinished on the table.

Jing looked again at the immobile figure sitting patiently astride the cycle, wondering if perhaps Fino had sent another letter without waiting for a reply, and decided the only way to find out was to ask. Giving his slumbering partner a quick glance - he wouldn't be gone too long - Jing descended the stairs and exited the inn, crossing the empty street. His expression spoke clearly of his curiosity and he stopped a few feet from Postino. "Didn't want your bike to wake the neighbours?" he chuckled. "They might see us and gossip."

Although a faint grin tugged at Postino's mouth, his expression remained serious. Too serious, Jing felt with a sudden chill, to be just a casual meeting. Postino had sought him out. "What is it?"

Yet the mailman hesitated, finally replying, "This usually isn't part of my job." The bizarre preface to the conversation would, in retrospect, be the most normal part of it. "I'm not supposed to have any judgment to the contents of the mail I carry, as long as it's not against the carrier rules. I'm definitely not supposed to talk about the contents with anyone other than the sender or receiver. But I think this is something you're supposed to know. Go to Shouchu in the next few days."

"Huh?" Jing said, baffled by the strange conversation. "Shouchu?" His clever mind ran the name through his memory, but produced only a vague recollection of even hearing the area, and not in relation to any treasure he could recall. "What for? Wait, what does you reading people's mail have to do with me? You're not going to get fired or something, are you? You'd better not-"

Postino's expression didn't waver. He pulled his goggles down around his neck and fixed Jing with a piercing stare, and the thief fell silent. The mailman almost never took off his goggles; he could only recall one other time, and that was when Postino had delivered his mother's dying gift to him.

"Shouchu," he repeated, and after a moment, Jing nodded mutely.

"Can't you even give me an idea of what's going on?" he said, aware that he sounded vaguely petulant.

Postino replaced his goggles, then kick-started the motorcycle. The engine surged briefly before settling into its habitual tempo. "Cassis," he said finally, and pulled out of the alley while Jing stared, too shocked to call after him.

* * *

Kir was still sleeping when Jing let himself back into the room, but stirred when the thief sat on the bed. He opened his eyes to find Jing looking pale, his grey eyes unfocused as though he'd taken a blow to the head and was dazed.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Kir demanded, instantly worried.

Slowly, Jing's gaze turned to him. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "But we're not going to be able to go to Pompier right away. We have to go somewhere else first."

Kir blinked. "Where?"

"Shouchu."


	2. Solicitude

**Solicitude  
**_3AM_ | _Determination, especially in matters that seem to hold you back._

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* * *

_

Fingertips drummed unforgivingly on the wooden inlay of the windowsill, filling the private compartment with hard-edged impatience. The train had been delayed and now sat idle on the tracks, awaiting permission to continue its journey. Although the window was open, their current inertia meant there was no breeze flowing in, and the air was stifling. Kir looked at the stony expression of the young man sitting across from him and thought it wasn't only the heat which would make this trip uncomfortable.

Jing had relayed the cryptic conversation with Postino in its entirety, hoping to assuage Kir's worry. Yet watching the thief's easygoing countenance become tense and edgy, he didn't feel at all reassured. For that reason, the albatross had suggested the private train compartment as opposed to the open seating otherwise available, and Jing hadn't argued. Truthfully, he was glad Kir was thinking ahead. Only one thought occupied his mind right now.

With a rending groan, the train shuddered and began to move. The glass lamps on the wall, unlit at this early hour, jangled in their holdings as the train master rapped politely on their door. "Sirs, we're getting underway again. We should reach Asafoetida by this evening, and we apologize for the inconvenience."

Jing barely heard the practiced apology, chin sunk deeply into his unoccupied hand while the other continued to patter out a staccato rhythm, unaware he was getting on his companion's nerves. It wasn't the train delay which had him so disquieted, although it hadn't helped. It was that, for one of the few times in his life, he felt wholly and completely unsure of how to proceed. Of all the information Postino could have relayed, this remained the most bizarre of all. After the mailman had disappeared, and only after, Jing's mind had filled with a thousand questions, none of which he found himself able to answer on his own. Telling Kir about it had produced the same slack-jawed reaction he'd had, and the two of them had not been able to come up with a single conclusion.

_Why Cassis? Why Shouchu? Why within a few days?_

For the most illogical 30 seconds of his life, Jing had actually considered forgetting the conversation even took place.

_That's not going to work._ There was no way he'd ever forget the way his heart had skipped a beat, shocked at her name, or the way Postino's gaze had drilled him as though asking, _What are you going to do with this now?_

The rhythmic _clack-clacking_ of the rails normally put him to sleep, but when he checked to see if Kir had been lulled into rest, he found the albatross staring expectantly at him. Only then did he realize that he had not only missed the avian's question, but the entire conversation that preceded it. Dragging his mind back to the present like a wagon hauling through mud, he gave his partner an apologetic look.

Kir sighed and repeated, "Are we going to stop in Asafoetida for a break, or catch the night train? You look dead tired, Jing. You're not gonna make a very good impression for Cassis if the first thing you do is snore at her."

The thief responded with a wry smile, although it faded and he questioned, "You really think she's there, Kir? In Shouchu? Is that where she's been all this time? Are the boys there? Is-"

"Whoa!" Kir interrupted, shaking his head. "Slow down! Postino ain't lied to us yet, so I'm gonna go with _yes_, Cassis is really in this place. As for the boys..." His voice grew slightly nostalgic; Jing was not the only one who missed the Strikeout Boys, their 'little brothers' of Amarcord. "Cassis wouldn't leave 'em behind, so I think they'll be there too."

"You're right," Jing said, mollified by the avian's logical reasoning. "After all, that's why... that's why we went alone, because she wouldn't leave the boys."

Kir winced inwardly, having not anticipated Jing to jump to that memory so quickly. "Well, you said she was right..."

"She was."

"... but it's not like she was picking the boys _over_ you, right? She just thought they needed her more."

The thief mouthed an inaudible agreement and returned to staring out the window moodily. When it became clear to Kir that Jing wasn't planning to answer his question about their travel plans, he spoke decisively. "That's it, we're spending the night." Anticipating Jing's reaction, he added authoritatively, "'Cause today I'm the navigator and you're the comic relief, got it? We're switching until we get to Shouchu. So start thinkin' of some jokes."

Although he usually cringed at Jing's groan-worthy choice of puns, they were often accompanied by a quirky smile from the thief, and Kir was more than willing to put up with the lame humour in order to see that expression right now.

* * *

Asafoetida, like Pisang, was a city that moved. Although not as motorized as Pisang, it had a certain momentum that was hard to deny. It was an oasis for weary travelers, where the food was good and the room rent was reasonable. They'd never worried about such things before but despite the stereotypical flightiness Kir might've displayed around women, he had his moments of responsibility when it came to looking after his partner and it showed in times like these. With the thief in tow, he located a quiet inn where they could spend the night.

Now if he could only put Jing's mind to rest so easily. He watched Jing sit on the windowsill, one leg dangling outside it and the other drawn up to his chest to provide a rest for his cheek. His grey eyes suggested that his mind was many miles away from this city and as he worried his lower lip gently, Kir knew that there was no _Bandit King_ in Aquavitae tonight, only a troubled young man from Amarcord.

Kir wondered if Postino had done them a favour, sending them on this inexplicable quest with nothing more than a name to go on. Yet that name had not only spurred but galvanized their desire to do so, although idled for the night when second thoughts began to lurk in the back of their minds. Still, he tried to put the situation into the best possible light, and offered casually, "Maybe the Aunties told Postino to deliver that message?"

"The Aunties?" Jing echoed, surprised. He tried to give the idea serious thought, although he couldn't see them employing such a tactic. "But the Aunties don't know where Cassis is. We asked them a long time ago, and they'd have _told_ us... if they'd known."

"Oh. Yeah."

Jing drew in a deep breath and released it, as though coming to some internal equilibrium. "Whatever way Postino got that message, he chose to give it to us. I trust him, so we're going to go. Besides, if there's a chance..."

The sentence hung unfinished, but Kir already knew what he would've said. He was surprised to hear Jing voice trust in the enigmatic mailman, for Postino had always seemed more _constant_ than trustworthy. A figure always there, in the background, everywhere. Kir supposed in a way it was creepy, but no moreso than so many other things that enhanced Aquavitae. Besides, Postino had been the one trusted to deliver Jing's (second) most precious gift - the mysterious box containing the Crime Royale and the fathomless green jewel, which still never left the thief's side.

"Yeah," Kir repeated, letting the subject drop. "Well, it's gettin' late, so I'm turning in. Don't stay awake all night."

Jing responded with a cynical chuckle, not moving from his windowsill perch. Although Kir tried to stay awake until his partner retired for the night, he eventually fell asleep around three in the morning, still alone in the bed.

* * *

Morning dawned crisp and fair upon Asafoetida, but they hardly noticed as they waited in the train depot with tickets in hand. Once the train had pulled away from the station and headed on a downhill slope - Shouchu was near the ocean coast - Kir finally asked, "Did you get _any_ sleep last night?"

"I was thinking of jokes like you said."

The albatross fixed his companion with a glare. "I ain't buying that for a minute, Jing." He hesitated, then added, "It's not too late to turn back..."

The thief uttered a soft "heh" and shook his head. "No," he replied. "I think we have to go now. Just enjoy the ride, partner. Whatever happens, will happen."

* * *

Shouchu was a lovely town, built only a few miles from where the sea lapped at the shore. The scent of saltwater and sunshine filled the air, making everything fresh. There were clean streets, small houses with tended flowerbeds and wind chimes hanging from hooked poles, tinkling in the light breeze. It was, Jing reflected, so much brighter than the earthy feeling of Balalaika, and he thought it must have appealed to Cassis, bright and shining like living jewel.

_If she'd wanted jewels I could have given them to her._ The thought rose up unbidden, but rather than push it away as he normally would, he let himself linger on it.

"Well," he said finally, and Kir looked at him expectantly. "Guess we'd better start asking if anyone's seen her."

As it turned out, Shouchu was a larger town than Jing had anticipated, but when they'd stopped to purchase a drink of lemonade from a street corner stand they found themselves gifted with a stroke of luck. A ball had come flying out of nowhere, and Jing intercepted it a scant moment before it would have beaned Kir midair. The albatross gave an involuntary squawk, then sagged in relief. "Sure glad you've got good reflexes," he griped, watching the thief play delightedly with the toy. "Oi, what are you, five again? Quit goofin'-"

A young child ran up to him, and stood defiantly with hands on his tiny hips. "Hey! That's my ball!"

"Is it?" Jing smiled. "You should take better care of it then. You almost hit my partner."

The child glanced at the albatross, muttered a "sorry" and held his hand out expectantly. Jing almost opened his mouth to admonish the lack of manners, but then realized he hadn't been much more polite at that age, especially around the Aunties, even at the risk of a dunking in cold water. Instead, he bounced the ball so that the boy could catch it.

"There isn't a bat practice around here, is there?" he inquired, watching the boy happily seize his ball.

"Huh? Bat practice?"

Jing gave a timorous smile and shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm just looking for someone, and Cassis used to... never mind. Let's go, Kir." He rose and threw his empty cup into a trash bin nearby as the albatross settled once more in his customary place on his shoulder.

They weren't a dozen steps away when the boy called after them, "You mean Miss Cassis at the school?"

Jing wheeled so quickly that Kir was nearly dislodged from his perch, grey eyes widening as he took an uncertain step back towards the boy, who was watching them with a puzzled expression. "At... the school?"

"Miss Cassis is a teacher at my school," the boy repeated. "But she's been gone all week. Madame Madeira said she's getting ready."

When Jing seemed frozen, it was Kir who prompted, "Ready for what?"

The child shrugged, bouncing his ball which to him seemed far more important than the conversation with the strangers. "I dunno 'cause Madame Madeira wouldn't tell us, just that it's got something to do with that guy she's marrying. I hope she comes back soon! Madame Madeira doesn't read us stories in the morning _and_ she gives us way more homework."

Postino's urgency fell suddenly into place, but Jing only stared blankly even after the boy lost interest in them and ran off to continue playing. Kir fretted, wondering how to snap him out of it, when suddenly he seemed to shake it off and managed, "Well! Guess we'd better go and give our best wishes to the bride-to-be..."

"_Jing_," Kir said fiercely. "We'll find her an' figure out what all this is about, but don't - _**don't**_ - pretend like this means nothing. Not around _me_, 'cause she's my friend too."

"Sorry," the thief said in a pained undertone; Shouchu seemed a bit dimmer despite the brilliant sunlight cascading down on it. "Let's head to the school... we'll see what we find."


End file.
